Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-06-03
MORE THAN 200 VICTIMS.

MUKE THAN GUU VlUllIlD,
NUMBER or DEAD INCREASING.
PARTICULARS OF THE BURNING
OF THE COMIQUE IN PARIS
BODIES PILED UP IN THE RUINS
OTHERS FOUND FLOATING IN
THE CELLAR.
PARIS, May %. - The Opera
COmique took fire this evening, and
the whole building is now wrapped
in flames. Several persons have
been injured.
The fire broke ont during the first
act of the opera, "AIignOn.' One
Of the wings caught fire from a gas
jet, and the entire stage was imme-
diately enveloped in flames. The
fire soon spread to the whole house.
Madam Merhuiller and NM. Tas
quin and Bernard were on the stage
when the fire broke ont. All the
actors ran out in their stage cos
tunes. The audience got out easily,
but the gas was turned of before
all bad left the building, and it is
feared that some were left in the
upper tiers. The roof soon fell in,
sending showers of sparks as far as
the Place de Ia Bourse. With the
exception of Madame Seller, who
pershed in the flames, all the ac-
tors escaped, though several Of the
supernumeraries were injured Sc.
verely.
Fourteen persons who jumped
from the windows are dead, and
forty-tbree were injured. 1t IS
probable that many were crushed
to death in the galleries, but at
present this is uncertain.
PARIS, May 2G.-The bodies Of
ballet dancers who lost their lives
by the burning of the Opera Com
ique last night, are lying in heaps
in the ruins of the theater. The
fremen assert that many bodies
are lying in the upper galleries.
The number of persons killed great
ly exceeds the previous estimates.
An excited crowd surrounded the
RUNS, which are guarded by mill
tary Gordon. Many distressing
scenes are witnessed.
Twenty bodies in q terribly mu-
tilated condition have been recoy-
cred from the ruins. The remains
are principally those Of ballet glrls,
choristers and machinists. Five OF
the bodies are those OF elderly la
dies, and one Of them is that Of n
child. The fremen lowered some
of the bodies from the fourth story
Of the theater by means OF ropes.
The remains of the three men and
two women were found in the stage
box, where the victims had taken
refuge from the flames. It's ascer-
tanned that many bodies lie buried
in the debris IN the upper galleries,
whence escape was exceedingly diff
ficult. The government propose TO
close several of the Paris theaters
because of their deficiency in exits.
Late this afternoon the bodies of
eighteen ladies, all in full dress,
were found lying together at the
bottom Ofthe staircase leading from
the second story. These ladies all
had escorts to the theater, but no
remains of men were found any
where near where the women were
burned to death.
The walls Of the theater began
falling this evening, and the search
for bodies had to be abandoned for
the day.
The library attached to the thea.
ter was entirely destroyed, with all
| its contents, including many valua-
bic scores. Six thousand costumes
were burned in the wardrobe.
The work of searching for the
bodies was resumed tonight, and a
number more were exhumed. The
official statement says that fifty
bodies have already been recovered.
VI. Reveillon, a deputy, speaking
in the Chamber of Deputies this
afternoon, estimated that at least
two hundred persons lost their lives
in the fire.
To-day one hundred and fifty-six
missing person lave been inquired
for by relatiY, They are suppOs.
ed to have persisted in the flames.
The bottom of the theater is flood
ed with water to the depth Of five
feet, and more bodies have been
found floating in the water by the
fremen.
The Opera COmiQue was insured
for l 100000 francs.
TERROR DROVE HER MAD.
In the Rue Favart a sudden gust
Of wind cleared away the dense
smoke, when woman and two men
were seen standing in an angle OF
the uppermOst cOrnIce. The wo-
man tried to Jump, but the men
prevented her. When all were
finally rescued the woman was a
raving maniac.
A singer had a miraculous escape
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